Her skirt felt too tight around her thighs as she leaned forward to sort through the papers on her desk. She knew how uncomfortable it was when she had pulled it out of her closet that morning. Why had she worn it, then? Looking good counted for nothing if she couldn't convey her point properly. Which wasn't going to happen if she kept worrying about her skirt...

She could feel the eyes on her as she walked up to the front of the room and began to fiddle around with the projector.

Relax. You can do this.

Turning to face the rest of the group, Martha turned her lips up in a professional smile. She could do this. A short presentation to her superiors was nothing compared to the marketing strategy she'd had to put together in order to have something to, well, present.

"Before I begin, I would like to thank the board for agreeing to consider my proposal. I hope that this short presentation will illuminate what the advertising department is hoping to accomplish with the additional funds."

Martha waited for her audience to nod before continuing. "As you can see here," the projector screened the first slide, "our profits last month-"

Your time is up, Martha.

Martha's voice faltered. Her eyes quickly scanned the room, but there was no sign of him. There were, however, twenty confused faces frowning at her.

She took a deep breath. It had been nothing. Her nerves were making her hear things, that was all.

"Miss George? Are you well?"

"Yes, I apologize," Martha quickly replied, straightening her back. The presentation had already continued to the next slide. "What I was trying-"

It's been ten years.

There was no mistaking it this time. The low, velveteen voice had spoken directly into her ear. The same voice which had persuaded her to make the deal of a lifetime.

A short lifetime.

Without another word, Martha turned on her stilettos and dashed out of the room. She could hear the incredulous voices calling after her and felt heads turn as she stormed past executives on her way down the hall. Her blouse was wet with water a young intern had spilled when they collided, but a damp top was the farthest thing from Martha's mind as she closed the bathroom door behind her.

The man (dare she call him so?) had left an impression of graciousness which remained ingrained in her mind for years. Surely, he wouldn't approach her in the ladies' room?

"Honestly, Martha. You traded your soul for talent, and the best your creativity could come up with was a bathroom?"

Her fingers tightened on the counter as she raised her head to look in the mirror. A sprig of hope blossomed in her chest as she took in the empty room reflecting back at her.

And then a hand grabbed her shoulder.

.x.

Arthur Kirkland brushed the spittle off of his suit as he closed the bathroom door behind him. It was at times like these that he was most thankful for his invisibility in the human world. People would be dashing in his direction at any given moment.

That Martha George was a bloody screamer.

.x.

"You wouldn't believe where she ran to."

Alfred brushed his lips against his shoulders. "Where?"

Arthur leaned back against his partner's chest. The bed sheets were a tangled mess at the foot of the bed and he didn't envy the maid who would have to wash them in the morning. To his sensitive nose, the heady scent of sex still hung in the air even though a good half hour had passed since Alfred had pulled out of him. The demon needed a shower. Desperately.

But that would mean that the large arms holding him close would be gone, taking the pair of lips leaving a trail of marks down his back with them. Arthur wouldn't allow it.

"A toilet," he announced, his mouth curved in a smug smile. "Of all of the fancy rooms in the building she could have chosen to spend her last moments in, she ran to the bathroom. And there I thought the woman had taste."

The lips on his shoulder blade paused. "A bathroom?" Alfred echoed.

"A bathroom," Arthur confirmed with a small sigh. He shrugged his shoulders, silently urging his partner to continue with his ministrations, but Alfred was apparently preoccupied with his most recent tidbit. Arthur had thought it would make the other laugh, but with the way Alfred's grip around him loosened, perhaps he should have kept his mouth shut.

"You know, it kinda sounds like a horror movie. Only you were the predator."

Arthur hummed. "I never thought of it like that. It's just my job," he craned his neck back to meet Alfred's baby blues. "Is something wrong?"

The color drained from Alfred's face. "Nah, it's nothing," he said quickly, dismissing Arthur's worry with a puff of air. "I'm just tired. Lemme just take a shower first."

Arthur knew better than to push it as he watched Alfred pull away and head towards the bathroom, closing the door firmly behind him. Alfred had the unfortunate habit of changing his mood every so often, not unlike humans, and could not be reasoned with until he cooled down. It made him all the more peculiar with the rest of the demons at the office.

Burrowing his face in the duvet, Arthur bit back a smile. It was also one of the reasons he loved the poor bastard.

.x.

Keeping office hours had its perks. In the face of eternity, a semblance of routine was nothing short of a blessing. The humans below often griped about how tedious their lives were, how bored they felt with their jobs or family lives. Much money was made on convincing others to break routine life- every moment of every day they were bombarded with infomercials telling them that their lives were being wasted doing the same thing every day.

Personally, Arthur couldn't understand how one could be bored in the human realm. They only had so much time to walk the earth. Surely, they should enjoy the time they had, regardless of what they were doing?

Not that it mattered in the grand scheme of things. If humans weren't dissatisfied with their lives, demons like Arthur would be out of business. And then, heavens forbid, he would be bored.

So Arthur kept to his blessed routine in hopes that he would never have to do otherwise. He had a home, a partner, and most importantly- a purpose. He could quite literally continue keeping his nine to five hours forever. He wanted to.

Which explained how rattled he felt when he returned home one day to find Alfred curled up on the couch with his palm delved in a bag of chips.

Alfred never came home before five thirty.

"What...what are you doing here?" Arthur managed after a full minute of shocked staring. Alfred quickly set down the bag of chips on the floor and flashed what could only be a guilty smile at him.

"Just chillin'. What do you want for dinner?"

Arthur frowned. "No, you don't get to change the subject just like that. Why aren't you at work? Your shift isn't over yet."

A flash of uncertainty washed over Alfred's face. His brows furrowed and he opened his mouth to say something before promptly biting his tongue and shaking his head. "I took the day off."

The ground shook beneath Arthur's feet. At least, it would have, if they were indeed standing on solid ground. He pulled off his coat and hung it in the closet just liked he always did before walking over to his partner and taking the empty seat next to him on the couch.

"Alfred," he addressed him softly, taking the non greasy hand in his own. "You never take the day off. Nobody takes the day off."

Alfred tried to pull his hand away, but Arthur's grip remained firm. "Humans have sick days all the time! Why can't we just take some time off now and then?"

Arthur blinked. "We aren't humans."

"So, what? We can't enjoy ourselves just because we're hell spawn?"

Shaking his head, Arthur rubbed his thumb over the top of Alfred's palm soothingly. "Who said we cannot enjoy ourselves? There is no reason for you to evaluate yourself according to human standards."

Alfred, with a burst of strength, finally snatched his hand away. "Why not? Our whole life revolves around them anyway."

"That's rubbish," Arthur dismissed with a frown. "Humans are lower beings. I might be jobless without them, but they certainly do not monopolize my very being."

Alfred jumped to his feet, crushing the bag of chips. "That's where you're wrong! Tell me, Arthur, what are you without your job? Who are you?"

Try as he may, Arthur didn't know the answer. Just because he didn't have something to say didn't mean that he wouldn't say anything, though. In the end, all he could come up with was a flustered "are you indicating that I am defined solely by my job?"

Alfred met his gaze with piercing blue. "That's exactly what I'm saying."

When he turned to leave, Arthur didn't try to follow. His reality had been cruelly snatched away from him by the demon he had shared his heart with.

Perhaps this was the true meaning of hell.

.x.

Take a deep breath. Not that you need it, technically, but figuratively- oh fuck it.

Arthur curled his hand into a fist and raised it to the door, knocking brusquely to announce his presence before opening it. Alfred was standing in front of the mirror decked in his full demonic glory: bony wings, long black nails and a pair of horns sticking out from his blond hair. Arthur paused, drinking in the delicious picture. He didn't often see his partner in his complete form. While magnificent, the wings tended to get in the way of the furniture.

The face in the mirror wasn't wearing its usual smile, though. Alfred was studying his reflection carefully, turning this way and that while completely ignoring Arthur's presence. Rather than demand to be verbally acknowledged, Arthur walked over to his lover and brushed his fingers between the wings, over Alfred's backbone.

Alfred shivered and met his eyes in the mirror.

"I apologize," Arthur murmured, running his hand over the sensitive skin.

The change was almost instantaneous. Something flashed in Alfred's eyes and he turned around to grab Arthur by the waist and pull him in for a tight embrace. Arthur found himself snugly situated against Alfred's chest with the demon's wings enveloping him from behind.

"No, I'm sorry," Alfred said softly, nuzzling Arthur's head beneath his chin. "I let out my frustration on you. You didn't deserve that."

Arthur silently agreed, but made a point not to say anything aloud. Instead, he brushed his lips against Alfred's collarbone and gave a sharp nip. Alfred inhaled sharply and pried himself away while keeping a firm hold on Arthur's shoulders.

"I was hoping that you might have understood me, though."

The sharp nails dug into his skin, but Arthur didn't mind. There was nothing like seeing a demon in his original form. Seeing Alfred in his original form. He had to repress the urge to lay back on the bed and allow Alfred to have his way with him hard and furious, but Arthur retained his cool. This was a serious matter. Besides, Alfred didn't look like he wanted to fuck.

"Maybe," he replied cryptically, his gaze never wavering. "You certainly gave off the impression of dissatisfaction."

Alfred's shoulders sagged as he finally let go of Arthur and sank down onto the mattress, every bit of him screaming defeat. He raised his head to look back absently at his reflection.

"What do you see when you look at me?"

Arthur peered at the mirror as well. "I see a powerful, attractive demon I am proud to call my partner."

Alfred shook his head and covered his face with his hands. "I'm a monster, Arthur."

"A monster?"

"A horrible non-human creature."

"I know what a monster is," Arthur snapped. He kneeled in front of Alfred and yanked his hands away from his face. "And you are not one."

Alfred looked away. "Just look at me! What kind of creature has wings and horns?"

"Demons."

"Exactly." Alfred cringed as he flexed his muscles. In a quick process, the wings folded back into his skin and the horns were no longer visible over the fringe of his hair. His nails returned to their usual length and paled into a translucent white.

"I'm not human. Therefore, I'm a monster."

Arthur clucked his tongue. "Just because you are not a human does not mean that you are a monster."

"But I am," Alfred insisted, exasperation creeping into his voice. "Don't you get it, Arthur? Our purpose is to cause others misery!"

"Giving them what they want is hardly what I'd call misery," Arthur stood up and straightened out his shirt. "Nobody is forcing them to sign away their souls."

Alfred just shook his head. "You know what I mean."

"No, I can't say that I do, Alfred," Arthur raised his voice, nostrils flaring. "Where is all of this coming from? What brought about this existential crisis?"

"Nothing in particular," Alfred quickly said, averting his eyes. He ran his fingers through his hair. "It's been building up for a while."

By this point, what had made Alfred question his purpose really wasn't all that crucial. Arthur was more concerned with what his partner had deducted from it. "So what are you saying?"

"I'm tired of doing Satan's dirty work!" Alfred cried, jumping to his feet. "I want to live my own life!"

Arthur crossed his arms over his chest. "This is your life."

"Not if I have any say in it." Alfred's eyes were burning dangerously.

"You're a demon. You have no say in it."

"But what if I don't want to be a demon anymore?" Alfred suggested quietly, taking a step closer towards Arthur. "What if I want to be, say, human?"

Arthur's face went blank. "You can't be serious."

Alfred paused in front of him and reached out to caress his cheek. "I am. Look, I've been thinking it over, and-"

Arthur slapped his hand away, cutting him off furiously. "I cannot believe you're actually considering it!" he yelled, red slowly creeping into his cheeks.

"Why not?" Alfred looked offended as he lowered his hand.

"Because of me, you selfish prick! Because of us," he gestured between them. "What will happen to me when you waltz down to earth? I thought you..." Arthur paused. Never in his wildest dreams he thought he'd have to say something so clichéd. "I thought you loved me."

Alfred grabbed his hands in his bone-breaking grip. "But I do," he insisted. "That's why you should join me! We can do this together!"

Arthur could feel his stomach churn in disgust. "Alfred," he said slowly, "I don't want to have anything to do with humans, much the less become one. My job is the extent of my dealings with them."

Even the crestfallen look on Alfred's face wouldn't deter him.

Feeling that the grip on his hands had slackened, Arthur pulled away and turned to go. "I won't stand for any more human nonsense," he stated. "You can sleep on the couch tonight."

.x.

Things went more or less back to normal. That is, if a tired and sad Alfred was considered the norm (which was anything but). The notion of deserting hell to become a human wasn't mentioned again, though, so Arthur considered himself lucky. He would allow his partner a few days to grieve for what must have been a detailed plan and wait for the smile to return to his face.

After all, this wasn't the first outrageous idea Alfred had come up with over the past few hundred years. If it hadn't been for Arthur, who knew where Alfred would have ended up?

Alfred didn't get better, though. Not after a few days, not after a few weeks.

Oh, he would go to work and collect souls, make deals with clueless humans and return home every night to eat dinner with Arthur. But gone was the fire in his eyes, the one that drew Arthur in like nothing else. The energy he always carried along with him appeared to have been sucked right out of him.

It was as if Alfred was already gone and had left behind a mere shadow.

"It has been a while," Arthur drawled one night over the dinner table. He shot Alfred a smirk when he raised his eyes from his plate to look at him questioningly. "I miss your touch at night, love."

Arthur had hoped to spark something in Alfred, but all he got was a pained expression torn with guilt.

"I'm sorry, Arthur. I'm just not up to it."

That was it. The last straw. Arthur had had enough.

His silverware clattered on the table as he leaned forward to yank Alfred by the collar, shaking him exasperatedly. "Snap out of it!" he demanded. "Stop moping about the house like some kicked puppy!"

Alfred didn't bother fighting back. "I'm sorry."

"No, that's exactly it! Stop apologizing for everything!"

Gently, Alfred pried Arthur's fingers off of his collar and leaned back in his chair to look at him wearily. "What do you want from me, then?"

Arthur fell back into his chair as well. "I want you to be happy," he whispered.

"But I can't," Alfred shook his head. "I can't be happy when I make others miserable."

Arthur stared down at his plate and frowned. He didn't dare pursue the subject any further. After a moment of silence, they resumed their meal, pretending that the last few minutes had never occurred.

They were becoming very good at that.

.x.

"No, please! There must be some kind of mistake!"

Arthur shook his head impatiently and looked down at his watch. This bastard was making him late.

"I assure you, Mr. Green, there has been no mistake. It is time to pay your dues."

The man gestured frantically to the exotic scenery surrounding them. "Look at all of this! I've been working my ass off for this vacation!" He tightened his grip around his drink. "Just let me enjoy it in peace."

The water was indeed beautiful. "Perhaps you should have thought of that before signing off your soul," Arthur frowned. "Please, Mr. Green. I am running late. I'd appreciate it if you'd spare me the use of force."

Mr. Green jumped out of his chaise lounge. Quickly, he dug into his pocket and pulled out a handful of green bills. "Please! I'll give you anything!"

"I have no use for mortal currency," Arthur chuckled darkly. "I believe it is time for us to go, now."

The man proved to be a screamer as well.

.x.

Looking down at Alfred's sleeping form, Arthur could see traces of the demon he used to be. He couldn't be sure what the other was dreaming of, but a ghost of a smile played on his lips, which was a far cry from the permanent dull line he sported nowadays. Arthur wondered if he'd ever see his partner smile again.

He leaned over the other and brushed his bangs back to press a swift kiss to his forehead. "Don't worry, love. I'm going to make this better."

The papers were waiting for him on the table, where he had piled them up before insisting they retire to bed early. Darkness was beginning to fall outside the kitchen window, but Arthur hoped that he'd make it in time before the office closed.

Francis was certainly surprised to see him.

"Arthur! To what do I owe this pleasure?"

Arthur walked into the small private office and drew back the chair in front of the demon's desk. He disliked his sporadic visits to the administration, but this was something he couldn't do without a clerk's signature. It didn't hurt that Francis owed him a favor.

"I need you to do something for me, Francis."

The demon raised a brow. "I was just about to close. Can't this wait for tomorrow?"

"No," Arthur insisted. He opened his briefcase and pulled out the paperwork, setting it down heavily on Francis's desk. "This needs to be done now."

Francis reached for the top page and pulled it to him to read. His eyes, which had been crinkled in amusement, grew wide behind the paper. "Arthur, what is this?"

Arthur straightened in his chair. "A resignation."

"You want to resign?" Francis asked him incredulously.

"Can't you read?" Arthur frowned. "Does it say my name on the top of the page?"

Francis's eyes returned to the document before slowly lowering it down to the desktop. "Alfred wants to resign?" he whispered.

Arthur nodded curtly.

"This is unheard of!" Francis cried, wrinkling his brow with distress. "No one has resigned in four hundred years!"

"You know how special he is," Arthur shrugged.

Francis shook his head. "I don't understand, Arthur. Why would he do this? He'll become human-"

"That's exactly why he's doing this. Please, Francis, just sign the form. I don't need to hear this from you."

Still, Francis didn't take out his pen. "But what about you?"

Arthur snorted. "Not in a million years, and you know it."

"But what will happen to the two of you? Are you willing to give him up, just like that?"

Arthur looked away. The office was beginning to feel claustrophobic to him. "He is miserable, Francis. Believe me when I say that this is our very last resort."

"It isn't much of a resort, though, is it?" Francis frowned. "Becoming human isn't just a matter of mortality. He won't retain his memories of his previous life. Of you."

"I'm aware," Arthur said quietly.

Francis regarded him silently for a long minute before heaving a long sigh. "I see you have your mind set on it. Very well."

And with a flourish, it was done.

Francis gave him a small smile. "You have twenty four hours."

.x.

Alfred blinked up at him. "You what?"

"I took the papers to Francis," Arthur said calmly, taking a sip of his morning tea. "It's done. You're to be human."

"You're shitting me."

Arthur curled his lips in a grim smile. "Would I lie to you about something like this?"

The teacup fell to the floor as Alfred pounced on him, yanking him out of the chair and pulled him in a bone-breaking hug. Arthur couldn't help but smile back when he saw the widest grin to have graced Alfred's face in weeks. Even when his chest ached with grief.

"Arthur..." Alfred pulled away slowly. "What about you? What made you change your mind?"

Arthur raised his hand to cup his partner's chin in his palm. "I couldn't see you so unhappy," he said quietly.

Alfred nuzzled his hand for a moment before pulling Arthur's hand away and pressing his fingers to his mouth. "Thank you. So much. But what about you?"

"I didn't change my mind," Arthur admitted softly.

He waited, and sure enough, understanding registered in Alfred's eyes, which grew impossibly wide.

"No."

"Yes," Arthur said firmly. "Becoming a human was your dream. Not mine."

Tears began to form in Alfred's eyes. "But what's the point of living my life without you? Without even the memory of you? We were supposed to do this together."

Arthur shook his head. "Don't be stupid. You won't remember me. There will be nothing standing in your path of happiness."

"But what about you?" Alfred repeated for the umpteenth time. "What will happen to you?"

Not knowing the answer himself, Arthur leaned forward and meshed their mouths together in a deep kiss.

"You better start making it up to me, then."

.x.

Epilogue

.x.

Luck would have it, of course, that the moment he had sat down for his lunch, his buzzer went off.

"Bloody humans," Arthur muttered under his breath as he dug his hand into his pocket to dig out the ruddy machine, effectively silencing it with a hard push on the button. They had absolutely no consideration for keeping proper hours. Just because demons were available for summoning at all times of day didn't mean that they had to be summoned at all times of day.

Nevertheless, he had a soul to buy. Sighing, Arthur stretched his wings and waited as he felt the familiar tingle of transportation. A moment later, he was in a bedroom.

The room, painted dark blue, was an utter mess. Comic books and dirty piles of clothing were strewn across the floor. The walls were covered with a variety of countless posters of planets and superheroes.

And in the middle of it all, stood a young man with an ancient book in his hands. He gaped at him incredulously and Arthur felt his heart skip a beat as his eyes met baby blues.

The young man's astonished face quickly broke out in a wide smile. "I can't believe that actually worked!" he gushed, putting the book down on his desk. He took a few steps towards Arthur and held out his hand, giving him a devilish grin.

"Hi, my name is Alfred. You're here to grant me my wish, right?"

.x.

This was a oneshot requested by mushrum on tumblr, who had won a giveaway of mine. She wanted a sweet devil!au, which I interpreted as a demon!au, with angst and hurt/comfort. I hope this will suffice :')